Three Republicans clash in expensive, no-holds-barred race for Florida Senate District 7 (2024)

Republican voters in Florida Senate District 7 have three distinct choices for a nominee who’s all but assured victory in November.

In Tom Leek, they have an experienced lawmaker with eight years of leadership in the Florida House, including two as the powerful appropriations chair. David Shoar is a lifelong law enforcement leader who concluded a 16-year run as St. Johns County sheriff in 2020 and has earned Donald Trump's endorsem*nt. And in Gerry James, voters have a financial advisor and self-proclaimed “constitutional conservative Christian” who performed professionally in four sports: golf, weightlifting, wrestling and football.

There have been no shortage of donors and influencers contributing to one of the most expensive legislative races in state history. At least $10 million has been spent, with ads and mailers attempting to shape opponents as “liberal” or controlled by the Tallahassee establishment, trial lawyers or other interest groups, while bolstering their own pro-Trump bona fides ahead of the Aug. 20 election.

While the three share many views, there are some differences on subjects including the Second Amendment and recreational marijuana.

District 7 — stretching along the Atlantic coast from Ormond Beach to Ponte Vedra Beach and west to Old Florida burgs Seville and Melrose — has been represented by Travis Hutson, who has reached his limit of two consecutive four-year terms.

The GOP primary winner will face Democrat George Anthony “T” Hill II on Nov. 5.In the 7th District, Republicans comprise about 52% of the district, while Democrats have 23%.

State senators serve four-year terms and earn $29,697.

Here’s a closer look at the three contenders.

Tom Leek

A 56-year-old attorney from Ormond Beach, Leek is the only of the three candidates with experience serving in the Legislature.

Leek has faced criticism from his opponents as being backed by legislative insiders and the Tallahassee establishment. The fact is for the past eight years, Leek was a key cog in that establishment, having served in leadership roles including the last two years as appropriations chair, sharing control of the budget with his Senate counterpart.

He had also previously chaired committees on pandemics and public emergencies, redistricting and public integrity and ethics.

With that pedigree, Leek has been mentioned as a future Senate president.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott — the governor during Leek's first term — joined a chorus of endorsem*nts, saying: "I completely support Tom. I want him to win. ... (If) he can become the Senate president, do you realize the impact that has on this area in the quality of governance you’re going to get from the state?”

Leek has also been endorsed by U.S. Reps. Michael Waltz and Cory Mills, Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, incoming Senate President Benjamin Albritton, House Speaker Paul Renner and all four sheriffs in the district, including Shoar's successor, Robert Hardwick.

Leek's clout has helped to bring millions of dollars back to Volusia and Flagler counties, but it's the money he made while in office that's been a frequent talking point for both Shoar and James.

Attacks have tied Leek, who works as the chief legal officer of Foundation Risk Partners, a Daytona Beach insurance agency, to the homeowners' insurance crisis.

During a WESH-2 debate last month, James noted many of Leek's campaign donors have been insurance companies.

"There is corruption abounding and you want to look at some of the contributions that these insurance companies ... they contribute to these legislators, and they write bills that favor their industry. This guy (Leek) has made more than $15 million in the last eight years, while a legislator in the Florida House," James said. "It’s crazy."

Leek has countered that he works for an insurance agency that advocates for consumers in finding policies and recovering claims, not the companies that write policies. In 2017, former Brown & Brown Insurance executive Charlie Lydecker started Foundation Risk Partners and Leek joined the following year, leaving his job at the Cobb Cole law firm.

"My wife and I in 2018 invested our entire life savings in a startup business," Leek said during the debate. "... I left my job, went to work for that business and over the next five years, we built that business into one of the most nationally recognized insurance agencies in the country. In 2022, we sold the business and we made a lot of money. In my world, in my United States, it’s still OK to be successful."

David Shoar

Shoar retired as St. Johns County sheriff in 2020 at age 59 after, he said, almost 40 years in law enforcement. Prior to his election, Shoar was the St. Augustine police chief and a 24-year veteran of the Florida Army National Guard, retiring with the rank of major.

Shoar joined the Ponte Vedra Beach law firm Woolsey Morcom as an investigator in 2023. In April 2024, one of that firm's lawyers, Erika Alba, created a political committee, The Truth Matters.

He filed as a candidate on June 7, just a week before the qualifying deadline.

The Truth Matters PAC has spent some $4 million, mostly on attacks on Leek, who says some of his legislation angered the trial lawyers whose donations are being steered to The Truth Matters.

Shoar denied attorneys, including his employers, asked him to run or will have sway over his votes should he be elected. He was elected four times as sheriff and didn't let that influence him.

"Assuming somebody’s going to do something because a group of people or somebody gives them money, I mean, that’s ridiculous," Shoar said during the WESH debate. "I got contributions from across the board ... and what they get is what everybody else gets. Honest leadership. Gonna tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.”

Shoar had a successful run as sheriff, winning re-election three times. But he also admitted several mistakes in the mishandling of the initial investigation into the 2010 suicide of Michelle O’Connell, the live-in girlfriend of deputy Jeremy Banks, according to reporting from the St. Augustine Record. The question of whether O’Connell’s death was a suicide or a homicide became the subject of investigations by the New York Times, PBS’ “Frontline” and other media.

Also while he was sheriff, his former CFO, Raye Brutnell, was convicted of grand theft involving the embezzlement of $700,000 from the Sheriff’s Office, and is serving seven years in prison.

Shoar told WESH he understands he doesn't have "all the answers," and seeks out ideas from subordinates and citizens.

“The people that worked for me understood that I would hold them accountable, but if somebody came after them and it wasn’t fair, I was with them until the bitter end," he said at the debate.

Gerry James

James, 64, challenged Hutson for the District 7 seat two years ago, losing by a 56-44 margin. He has campaigned as an outsider guided by faith.

“I am the only politician that has not taken a dime from the insurance companies and the trial lawyers," James said.

His campaign has been largely self-funded and while he lacks the "establishment" endorsem*nts Leek boasts, James has landed the backing of the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee, as well as a list of right-wing figures including MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, former FBI agent Stephen Friend and onetime Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

“He is an amazing patriot. A fighter. All about America First," Palin said in a video on James' website. "This guy’s running for the right reasons and his background, oh my gosh, the work ethic, the self-discipline, everything that, shoot, every other politician should wish to emulate. He’s got it. Florida, you’re lucky to have him.”

James, an ordained minister, attends Family Bible Church in Ponte Vedra Beach and has for nearly 20 years served in a prison ministry, talking with inmates.

"Government is a mandated entity ordained by God, but God has authority over everything," he said. "My traditional faith and historically, the traditional faith of this country has been Christianity, and my God is the founder and maker. ... If you have another god who did that, I'd pay attention to that. I don't see another god who was crucified and put in a tomb and walked among men."

He said he is running to get corruption and money out of politics.

On his safemoneymanager.com website, James says he learned about money and safe investment after "misplaced trust in a broker-adviser led to a devastating six-figure loss in my retirement portfolio."

Differences of opinions on marijuana amendment

The three candidates have clashed on Florida constitutional Amendment No. 3, the legalization of adult use of marijuana.

Leek describes himself as "a hard no" on legalized marijuana.

"One of the largest marijuana growers in the country is behind that initiative and the other thing that you’ve got to know is today’s pot is not like the ‘60s and ‘70s exactly. It is so much more potent and so much more harmful," Leek said during the WESH debate.

James, too, is an opponent, calling the amendment to allowing adults to legally purchase pot "an abomination."

Shoar, who in recent years has become a vocal proponent for studying the legalization ofpsychedelic drugs as mental-health treatment, supports legalizing pot for use in homes, but "not in public, not where you can bother other people with it."

A St. Augustine police report last December states Shoar failed to stop at a red light, according to the Florida Times-Union. The officer observed marijuana on the vehicle's center console while collecting Shoar's driver information and wrote there was a "very strong odor" of marijuana coming from the vehicle, but Shoar showed him a medicinal marijuana card. No arrest was made. Shoar was given a verbal warning about the traffic violation and the use of marijuana in the car, the Times-Union reported.

How does the Second Amendment apply to Florida laws?

The Florida Republicans who've controlled Tallahassee for going on three decades have opposed Democrat calls to restrict access to certain types of weapons, particularly after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 people were killed.

Lawmakers raised the minimum age to purchase a weapon from 18 to 21 as part of a package of reforms that also included the creation of red flag laws allowing law enforcement agencies to petition judges to seize weapons from people deemed to be a threat to themselves and others. Leek voted for that bill, but has also since voted to lower the age restriction back to 18.

Mass shootings keep coming.

As of Monday, mass shootings had struck 24 times in Florida since the start of the year, resulting in 28 deaths and 93 injuries, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

None of the candidates have offered any specific ideas on how to slow or stop the bleeding.

James turns to faith — or the lack of it — as the problem.

“It’s the degradation of society, the moral compass in our society has been eliminated almost, and I lay it at the feet of the church, because we now have a majority of hirelings in the pulpits not preaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ and the true morality of Christianity. Their message of appeasem*nt, almost, and so that’s where I would start, you know, to get us back into a position of checking our moral compass. ... Government is not our answer.”

Shoar said gun control has become a political issue.

"Every time we got 20 kids killed, everybody starts screaming for gun control. I think we need people control,” Shoar said. "We always try to use legislation to try to fix these things but we need common sense.”

Leek, who through a spokesman said he was unable to speak with The News-Journal about the Second Amendment, offered a prepared statement, highlighting his endorsem*nt from the National Rifle Association.

“I have consistently sponsored pro-gun measures, including legislation lowering the age to purchase a firearm to 18 years of age, and repealing prohibitions impacting Second Amendment rights during certain declared emergencies," Leek said. "These are the issues I will continue to fight for in the Florida Senate on behalf of law-abiding citizens and the law enforcement community who protect us each and every day.”

The House, with Leek voting in support, passed a law in 2023 allowing permitless concealed carry. The law didn’t go as far as some gun-rights advocates wanted, though, by allowing the open display of guns, such as in uncovered holsters or strapped across one’s chest.

Shoar shares a story about a time when he was sheriff in a store — in uniform —attempting to purchase a Glock handgun. When the clerk asked him if he had a concealed weapons permit, Shoar said he didn’t. She wouldn’t let him leave with the gun without the mandatory three-day waiting period.

He says his opposition to red flag laws stems from that and other examples of government overreach.

“When (lawmakers) brought that risk protection order out, it was like they wanted us to seize all their guns and weapons, and we’re going to store them?” Shoar asked. “And who’s deciding? And so I don’t support those, no.”

Shoar said he was "shocked” that lawmakers allowed permitless concealed weapons, a policy he has opposed. But as a law enforcement officer, he said if someone is packing, he’d rather it be in the open.

“If the Legislature said you can carry concealed weapons without a permit, what the hell? Why not support open carry? I’d rather see who’s carrying them than concealing them,” he said.

James supports open carry.

“You look at the crime rates where they have open carry and they are lower than those with concealed carry or no carry,” James said.

“The main thing I want in an open-carry law is to avoid me or anybody else going into a restaurant and taking my jacket off and exposing my concealment or my weapon and having an issue with somebody that’s sitting (near me) and calling police, potentially putting me at jeopardy for my constitutional rights.”